Israel’s Covert​ Operation: Blowing Up Hezbollah ⁢Pagers in Lebanon and Syria

Israel accelerated its plan to detonate explosive-laced pagers used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon and Syria due to concerns that their covert operations could be compromised by‌ the​ militant group, according to three US officials.

A‌ US official revealed ​that Israel informed Washington about the timing of the attack on September 17, stating, “It was a use it or lose ‍it⁣ moment.” ⁣This‍ decision was made after Israeli leaders expressed concerns that the devices⁤ could be detected by‍ Hezbollah.

Although the coordinated ⁤attack on Hezbollah is believed ⁣to have​ been carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, the country has yet to comment on the matter.

The ‌explosions resulted in the deaths of at least nine​ people and injured over 2,800 across Lebanon. Hezbollah reported ‌that many of its military unit members were among the casualties.

A former Israeli official with knowledge of the ‌operation stated ​that Israeli intelligence initially intended to use the explosive-laced pagers⁤ as a precursor to ⁣a full-scale conflict with Hezbollah. However, the risk of detection prompted a ⁣change in ‌plans.

Prime‍ Minister Benjamin ‌Netanyahu and top Israeli government ministers, along with ‍the heads⁢ of the Defense Forces and the‌ intelligence ‌agency, decided to execute the plan sooner rather than⁤ risking‌ the devices ‌being detected by Hezbollah, according to a US official.

Hezbollah members had recently raised concerns ​about the pagers, which may have contributed to Israel’s decision to‍ accelerate⁣ the operation.

On September 16, US President Joe Biden’s top adviser, Amos Hochstein, met with Israeli officials, including‌ the prime minister and defense ⁤minister, ⁤who discussed the possibility of the ⁣plan⁤ being discovered. However, they did not disclose any information about the impending ⁣operation.

On the afternoon of September 17, Israeli Defense ‍Minister Gallant informed his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin,​ that an ⁤operation in Lebanon would soon be launched, but refused to provide further details. The ⁣pagers exploded across Lebanon just seven minutes later.